The R O
by Reikaku Pyro
Summary: [Canon pairings] The R. O. is an underground company dedicated to wiping out vampires. Run by the mysterious ONI, what happens when one of their own turns traitor? Rated for violence and launguage.
1. Chapter 1

_Author's Notes: Alright, this is a little hard to explain. You see, I've become absolutely obsessed with the vampire/supernatural hunting genre, so of course I had to write a fic. I explained it as best I could in the fic, but here's some background info just in case-_

_The society I made (The Ripper Organization--crappy name, I know. So sue me) is a company of mercenaries that specializes in vampire hunting. It's an underground operation, so only the highest of government officials and the wealthiest investors know about it. Sounds cliche I know...and it kind of is. But oh well. I was watching a friend play Bloodrayne while I dreamt this up. You'll get over it, I'm sure._

_Anyway. The hunting teams are broken up into groups of three; a Gunner, a Swordsman, and a Coordinator. The names are self-explanatory, so I won't insult your intelligence by telling you what each does._

_Rather than using real names in the early chapters, I'll be using the code names I've given them. Each team's name originate from old world gods and deities. The main team that I'll be writing about is the Norse team, thus Norse god names. As time goes on, I'll be converting to the canon names like Jounouchi and Yuugi, etc, but for now I'll be using code names. I tried to make it as obvious as possible to tell who's who, but yeah. Even if you can't tell you'll know eventually _:D

_THIS IS AU. Obviously. I've played around with the ages and stuff, but the relationships for the most part will stay the same as canon as I can make them, with afew little surprises. But please. No reviews telling me that So-and-So character is not 23. I know that, but here they are._

_Also, I totally took a couple lines from Blade Trinity. I am so unorginal, but that movie's hysterical. I just could not help myself. Forgive me, plagurism gods. I'll make a MLA Handbook sacrifice later, I promise._

_Yes. I'm adding to the insanity that is the YGO/Vampire crossover category. Yes, I did die a little inside when I decided to do this. Blame Blade Trinity, Anita Blake, L. A. Banks, Anne Rice, and Bloodrayne 2. It's all their fault._

_That's enough rambling. On to the cliche._

* * *

"Do you see the target, Oden?" he somehow deciphered, despite the intense cackling of the radio in his ear. 

"Yeah, Siren 6. I see it…but could you fix the radio please? I can barely understand you," answered the hesitant Oden. A pair of dark looking twenty-somethings walked by, giving him a mysterious glance as they passed. Oden tried looking as commonplace as possible. He found it difficult to hide the katana at his side, however. He was told that ability would come with experience.

"No can do, Rookie," Oden recognized the gruff voice of Loki 5 on the other end through the static. He could tell the man had a cigarette in his mouth. "That static's always been there. No matter what we try it won't be goin nowhere, so get used to it."

"But couldn't the targets hear it? Wouldn't we be found out, Loki 5?"

"Man, was I this freaked out when I first joined this damn team?" Loki sighed, and then grunted out of impatience for the newcomer. "Look, kid. Number one; that number crap is only for the suits at H. Q. You don't need them when you're just talking on the fucking radio. Number two; this has been our communications system for years. Those suck-heads haven't noticed it yet, so I'm not gonna question it now. Just get your ass in there and get the job done!"

Oden heard the click as Siren jumped in. "Well aren't we cheerful tonight, Loki?" she said, the pang of sarcasm almost piercing. "This is our first mission with the new swordsman, alright? Give Oden a break. At least he's thinking about consequences. Unlike _some_ people."

Loki grunted with slight disdain. "If you weren't so cute, I'd be really upset with you, Siren."

"Lucky for me then," Oden practically saw the victorious grin on her gentle face. "Oden, this is a typical vampire safe house. Nothing too big here. All you need to do is go in and take out every target you can sink that sword of yours into. Meanwhile, Loki will be going after the proprietor of the establishment. I presume you've looked over the target profile, handsome?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I like to play it by ear."

"How droll. I hope for you sakes you did. You're only going to have one shot at this."

"One shot's all I need," Loki boasted with an overconfidence Oden found himself envying. "You know they call me the One-Hit-Wonder."

Siren replied with a playful scoff. "Whatever you say, Mr. Wonder. As much as I'm enjoying this witty banter of ours, we do have a mission to take care of. Oden? It's party time, kiddo."

"Got it," Oden replied, stepping out of the shadows and looking at the front door of the rave. Pounding heavy metal music shook the ground, and he knew there would be a large victim count tonight. "I'm about to go through the front. Wish me luck."

Loki laughed as he took the last drag of his cigarette and snapped back the barrels of his guns. "Let's roll, ladies."

* * *

Most vampire hunters in the Ripper Organization (R. O. for short) were in their mid twenties. Oden had just come of age. His exemplary swordsman skills were what got him into basic training, and his never-give-up attitude was got him through it. Then he was quickly placed on a team and thrown into the field. Stripped of his birth name, the boy he once was ceased to exist. Sure. He still went by that name during the daylight hours and when he was off the clock. But when the time came to strap on those blades and join his team, he was Oden. Oden was small, but agile and swift; perfect qualities for a hunter swordsman in this underground society. Oden was all business. 

The inner workings of the R. O. were still unknown to Oden, as they most likely would for the rest of his life. All he knew (would ever know) was that it was a business for hunting in the supernatural realm, specializing in vampires. International leaders would pay out the ass to get rid of their messy vampire problems. The R. O.'s leader, known only by the name ONI, was well aware of this fact. He'd created an empire on it. R. O. hand picked their soon to be hunters, trained them, and then sent them out to kill, giving their employees a hefty little paycheck for their services.

It was a hell of a way to make a living.

The day Oden met his teammates, he was a nervous wreck. Would they accept him right away? After all, he'd heard this team had just lost their Swordsman while on a mission. He was a replacement; Nothing more than a way to fill the space. Why would they just grin and say "Welcome to the team?"

Siren, the team's Coordinator, was the one he saw first. She was a very kind looking woman, roughly 23 or so. She was gorgeous to boot. Long, white, silky hair careened down her face into her sparkling blue eyes. Her china skin had a pink tint on the round cheeks of her smile. Oden had to do a bit of a double take when he first laid eyes on her, stammering a bit as he introduced himself. Siren had simply laughed and shook his hand, saying she was happy to meet him.

That's when Loki walked it.

At first, Oden didn't know what to make of him. The team's Gunner was a rough looking man with a ruffled mess of sandy blonde hair and a thick stubble across his strong jaw line. He had an all-business stare, but a glint of rebellion in his cinnamon colored eyes. But one thing was for sure; Loki had a stature to be envied. Tall, sculpted, relaxed. Loki's presence would not be ignored by anyone. Hell, even Oden found himself in awe at the overall sensuality that this Loki just oozed. The cigarette in his lips left a smoky halo around the rebel's head. He looked over his new teammate critically, folding his muscular arms with a slight scowl.

"_You're_ the new blade?" Loki half scoffed. "Is this a joke? You're a baby."

"Loki! That's how you greet our new teammate?" Siren had gasped. "That's just rude."

"Well sorry, but it's true!" Loki argued, not bothering to remove the cigarette from his mouth as he talked. He turned back to Oden, the critical glare painfully apparent. "What're you? Twelve?"

"Eighteen," Oden answered with as much masculinity as possible. He felt so dwarfed with this Loki around.

Loki shook his head. "They're getting smaller and smaller. Soon this whole damn operation'll be run by fucking midgets."

Siren automatically reached over and whacked him across the arm, resulting in a bit of flinching and protesting on the rebel's part. "Now you stop that!" she instructed. "They wouldn't have brought him here if he couldn't do the job. And I thought I told you to quit smoking around me. It's such a vile habit."

Loki glared at her a moment, but the gaze softened as he grinned. "Ya know, you're pretty when ya get all mad like that," he smirked, destroying the cigarette in the ashtray of the table Siren leaned against.

She simply rolled her eyes. "Please. I think I might die of cliché if you keep it up, Loki."

Oden observed this exchange, questioning the professionalism of it all. Was this how all teams talked? Teams spent countless hours in high risk situations, just doing their job. That's what it was for them. A job. Not some noble quest to rid the world of vampirism. They did it for the money, and it was worth it.

Perhaps it was normal to be friends with your teammates.

"Do you know each other's real names?" Oden suddenly asked his new team, wide eyed and curious.

The two blinked a moment before Loki raised a brow. "What're you talking about, rookie? That's the first thing you learn in basic training. Never reveal your name, not even to your team. You're just asking to get fucked if you do," Loki said gruffly, as though he could say it any other way.

"I was just asking-"

"Well, don't," the man snapped. "Real names are a big no-no here, kid. That's what the codes are there for. So use em."

Siren nodded with a softer expression. "It's too dangerous to reveal ourselves," she said. "But enough of that. I think it's time we got Oden his new toys."

* * *

"That was it? I'm a little disappointed," Oden sighed, exiting the building. His shining katana and kodachi blades reflected the light from the moon and the nearby street lamps. One good thing about vampires- 

They were a clean kill. No blood. No mess. No stains on your clothes. Just a rusty powder that Oden found to have the rich odor of blood.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that, rookie," Loki's voice crackled in his ear. "Because I just had a barrel of laughs taking that rich suck-head out."

"That's fascinating, Loki," Siren replied dully. "Good work, Oden, but you've got to be more careful when you infiltrate these types of places. There were a couple of times that targets bumped into you and your weapons. That could've been messy."

"Well it's hard not to get bumped into when you're surrounded by a mosh-pit of vampires," Oden said back.

"Touché," Siren laughed. "In any case, mission completed, boys, get back to base. Looks like we've got a new assignment waiting for us."

"Busy night," Loki snickered. "Pay day's gonna be good to me this month."

* * *

Oden waited by the bikes for Loki. Normally this was a BIG no-no in the world of hunting. No one on teams was supposed to associate with each other in a public place. But Oden was still a little sketchy on the precise directions to H. Q. And considering the business, precision was a must. So when he saw Loki calmly stroll down the alley with a large duffel bag tossed over his shoulder, Oden prepared for a stern talking-to. But Loki just smirked and took a drag of another cigarette. "What? Ya get lost already?" he asked. 

Oden nodded.

"Oh well. Just follow me," Loki said, strapping his duffel to the back of his bike.

"Loki? What's in there?" Oden asked curiously. The duffel had made a metallic thud, and it looked extremely heavy.

The rebel just grinned. Zipping open the bag, he pulled out a monster of a shotgun. Double-barreled, each barrel as long as Oden's forearm and twice as thick.

"These," Loki said, snapping back the barrels, "-are my toys. These babies are specially designed to shoot just about anything out of the barrel. Stakes, bullets, sun-dogs maybe even a small rat- whatever gets you hard," he muttered. "Shoots the ammo with the force of a damn wrecking ball. I've seen these babies blow right through concrete, so you can imagine the damage to a fleshy little vampie. And I've got two of em."

Oden marveled at the power of those guns. He knew he'd see some powerful weapons in this business, but he'd never seen a shotgun that huge. How Loki carried two at once amazing him. But Loki had the arms for such a task. He didn't need to be sleek and swift, but he was. As the Gunner, it was his job to be the strength; the brute power to blow away the opposition. But he also had stealth on his side, since he wasn't too big, just strong. Loki had it all, and Oden admired him. This was the power of a seasoned hunter.

Oden craved that power.

The smaller boy noticed some spots on the cargo khakis of his partner. They were a deep crimson, and still looked wet, though some of the stains had already set. "Loki? Is that…?" he stammered a little, pointing.

Loki glanced down at his pants, and then rolled his eyes. "Aw man! I just got these things!" he flailed a bit.

"Vampires don't bleed, Loki. How'd you get blood on your clothes?"

"There were a few familiars hanging around my target. Stupid mother fuckers. Think that just by helping out a suck-head they'll be rewarded with eternal life. Apparently that includes protecting the bastards with their lives. Well," Loki smirked almost evilly. "I gave them that opportunity. But killing humans is so messy. And it's hell to explain to a dry-cleaner."

* * *

Downtown lights whizzed by as Loki and Oden sped down the street. The younger hunter found it hard to keep up as Loki flew around corners, almost daring him to try and keep up. Oden took the challenge, but soon found himself losing control so he slowed down. He almost heard the blonde laugh inside his helmet. 

They reached the underground entrance only 10 minutes after leaving the safe house. Loki put in the password for the voice recognition system, and the two drove into the parking garage. Oden saw many pairs of hunters talking, and as they parked he noticed two girls whizzing off to the exit.

"What the fuck is going on? Are all the suck-heads out tonight?" Loki groaned, taking off his helmet and shaking his hair out. Oden smirked and kicked the stand of his bike.

They went down the elevator to the conference rooms, passing many fellow hunters along the way. Oden didn't know any of them, so he found himself more interested in the industrial layout of the office. It looked more like a garage than a company, but the high tech gadgetry proved to him that this was a legit operation. Loki on the other hand, walked through the halls and bridges completely unimpressed, and he would greet some of the passing co-workers.

Suddenly, a small girl of about Oden's height called out from an adjoining hall. "Onii-chan!" she said brightly, brushing her auburn hair from her smiling face. Loki's expression brightened as well as Oden saw him truly smile for the first time. The girl ran over and threw her arms around Loki with a small laugh.

"I take it you two know each other?" Oden snickered.

Loki glared at his partner, but the joy in his eyes didn't fade. "Oden, this is Nymph," he said, flicking a cigarette butt to the floor. "She's a Coordinator. Nymph, Oden. He's my new Swordsman."

Nymph smiled, but looked very concerned. "You're a hunter? You look so young!" the bright eyed girl exclaimed.

Oden nodded. "I'm eighteen. But you don't look like much of hunter yourself."

"Well she's one hell of an informant," Loki said, ruffling Nymph's hair. "I was on her team for a couple months. Cute as she is, I sort of adopted her as a little sister."

"He's been my onii-chan ever since," she grinned.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Thought I told you not to call me that," he grunted, lighting up another stick. Nymph promptly took it away and tossed it on the ground.

"And I thought I told you to stop that! Those things will kill you, Onii-chan."

"Nymph, I'm a goddamn vampire hunter. My job is what's gonna kill me, not these damn pieces of paper."

"Hmph," the redhead pouted, but quickly turned as a tall brunette of Loki's stature (though much cleaner cut) and a shorter, leaner man with long black hair and an assortment of piercings called her back over. "Oops. Apollo and Hades need me," she smiled. "Nice to meet you, Oden. I'll see you around, Onii-chan." With that the girl was off, and Oden noticed the scowl on Loki's face.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't like those guys," Loki muttered.

"They're her team, right?"

"Well, when I was on her team, Apollo—" Oden assumed that was the tall brunette, "—was our Swordsman. And he always had a thing for her. And let me tell you; that guy's a pervert. I was pretty ticked off when they transferred me and made him a Gunner. And that other guy, Hades…he just gives me the creeps."

Oden snickered. He made a mental note that Loki wasn't as harsh as he appeared. He was actually a big softie when it came to girls.

After the encounter, Loki and Oden continued on their way to the room where Siren was waiting. She was dressed in pretty causal attire; white shirt with a black leather jacket, a pair of dark boot cut jeans and black heeled boots. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, and a pair of thin reading glasses rested on her nose. She looked up from a folder and smiled when they entered the room.

"My boys! You're back," she grinned, then her face became slightly distorted. "Ugh, what died?"

"You know the answer to that," Loki said dully, plopping into a chair, lifting up his legs and dropping his boots right on the glass table. "Lay it on me, sweetheart," he smirked, resting his hands behind his head. "Who's the next victim?"

Rolling her eyes, Siren lifted herself off the table with a wistful laugh. "Hate to break it to you, Loki," she smirked, "But you two were just a little too late getting here. Another team already picked up the mission."

"What?" Loki exclaimed. "No fucking way! Only a higher level team can take a mission out from someone else! Who the hell would take our missions?"

"Looks like Team Roma would," Siren answered matter-of-factly, resting the file on the table. As she sank into another chair, she just sort of smiled. "Look at it this way. Now you've got some free time."

"Team Roma?" Loki snorted. "Those pricks again? How do they keep getting a hold of our goddamn files?"

Siren fidgeted a bit. "I dunno."

"Shit. Never even met them and I already hate their guts. I got bills to pay, dammit."

Grinning, Siren shook her head. "Oh you poor baby, you."

"Hmph."

"Well, you're going to have to get over it. I just read over a high-risk mission we've been assigned to for next week. It's a co-op."

"Oh yeah? Haven't been on one of those in a while," Loki said thoughtfully.

"Co-op?" Oden repeated. "What's that mean?"

"We'll be working with another team on this one. It doesn't happen often, so you can be sure this'll be a tough one," Siren told him. She looked a little concerned. It was understandable. Oden had JUST completed his first routine mission, and now he was about to be thrown into a very high-risk situation.

Loki just shrugged those large shoulders of his and cackled. "Don't be so dramatic, Siren-baby. Every co-op I've been one could a been taken care of by a single team, no problem. But who's the lucky team getting paired with pros like us?"

"I'm glad you asked. You know how you said you've never met Team Roma before, Loki?" Siren smirked.

Loki's smug expression turned bland. "…Yeah? What about it?"

"You won't be able to say that much longer."

Loki stared for a moment before pulling out his pack of cigarettes. "Son of a bitch."

* * *

_Author's notes: End Chapter 1. Hopefully it wasn't as horrible as I think it might be. I did just...make all that up in a 6 day time period- 3 days planning, 3 days writing and editing._

_Anyway. Chapter 2 will be up pretty soon, I imagine. That is unless World of Warcraft takes over my brain as my friend says it will. Later!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Author's Notes: Took awhile for me to finish this. I just started my first term of college and had to move to a completely different part of the country so XD It's acceptable._

_Nonetheless, I will admit to rushing through a good portion of this chapter. I'm ok with that, since I'm really writing this out of pure novelty, not quality. So if there's a number of grammar mistakes or random mis-spellings, my apologies. I didn't really proofread as much as I usually do. I just wanted to get it posted since my ethernet is kind of shaky and I only have a small window in which to post. So yes. Sorry._ _Same if some things just...don't make a lot of sense. Like the fight scenes. I...kind of didn't care about detailing them, so they're a little dry. But yes._

_In any case, here's chappie number two._

* * *

"Just who the _hell_ do they think they are?" Loki spat out as he paced the length of the room. The mission's briefing was scheduled to begin 15 minutes prior, and Team Norse was awaiting the prestigious Team Roma—who was late. "We'd get our asses docked if we were late for a damn briefing," he continued to rant, the smoke trailing wistfully behind the end of his cigarette.

"I'm sure there's a perfectly good explanation for this," Siren said calmly. She looked rather comfortable leaning back in that chair. Oden was against the side wall with his arms tightly folded. He was anxious to meet this Team Roma. Supposedly they were some of the best hunters at the R. O. He'd heard they could take 4 targets a night, depending on location. They were legendary.

Loki didn't like them much.

"I'm gonna gives those bastards a piece a my mind," Loki growled, pointing at Siren. "You just wait."

"Oh would you just calm down?" Siren sighed with exasperation. "It's not that big of a deal, Loki. I'm sure they just…got caught in traffic."

Loki stopped in his tracks and turned his glaring eyes to Siren. "Oh, you're just hysterical."

"I know."

Just then, the door to the office swung open, and a tall brunette man with piercing blue eyes walked through. He stood for a minute, looking over Oden, Loki, and Siren, as though he were studying them.

Oden studied him as well. He looked about Loki's age, give or take a year. He couldn't really get a good idea of the man's structure as it was covered by a long leather trench coat. But Oden deduced from his height and the way his collared shirt hung on him that the man had a serious case of lank. His large hand gripped the handle of a huge, solid metal briefcase, and the shine off his patent leather shoes seemed almost blinding. And when Oden looked up at his eyes, he felt a cold shiver run down his spine.

This man was beyond intimidating.

Though not to everyone. "It's about damn time," Loki snorted.

"Please forgive my tardiness," the man said. Oden noted the very deep and rich sound of his voice. "My team and I were on a mission and got held up. They'll be here in 3 minutes." He walked over and put his briefcase on the table. "My name is Oracle 20. I am Team Roma's Coordinator."

"Alright, Oracle. Just what the hell were you thinking taking a mission when you knew you had a briefing?" Loki demanded, flopping carelessly into a chair next to Siren. "Seems a little unprofessional if you ask me."

"We had a few complications. And I would prefer if you kept from giving me lectures on professionalism," Oracle snapped back. He turned his gaze to the girl. "Siren," he nodded, no emotion in his voice whatsoever.

Loki did a double take. "You know this guy?"

Siren nodded slowly. "We've met."

Loki scowled.

Oden felt Oracle's cold eyes upon him, so he turned his head to face him. "I'm Oden 14, the new Swordsman," he said nervously. Something about Oracle's gaze just scared him.

"I know," the man answered monotonously. "I'm just surprised to see someone as young as you on a team. Though considering the level it must not be too difficult."

"What?" Loki exclaimed. "Look, you wouldn't be doing a co-op with us if we were just some rookie team, got it? We know damn well what we're doing."

"I didn't say you didn't. But I am having my doubts about you, Loki 5."

Loki didn't take well to that kind of condescension. "Listen, you pompous dirt bag-"

"Anyway!" Siren interrupted, pulling Loki back into his chair as she stood. "Should we wait for your team, Oracle? Or should we begin the briefing?"

"I've already looked over the file. My team's more than capable of looking at it themselves, so I will just conduct the briefing now," Oracle said, opening the case and pulling out a few folders and turning on the room's monitor. He popped a disc into the slot of the DVD player and waited. Soon a picture of a large mansion popped up.

"This is Amitri Manor, home to Monsieur Amitri and his perfect little family. One guess as to what their family hobby is," Oracle said dryly as the photo changed to a short clip of an elderly gentleman shake hands with another man.

"I'm gonna guess it's not leisurely walks through the garden and vegetarianism," Loki scoffed.

"That's one way of looking at it," Oracle rolled his eyes. "From what I've been able to tell so far, the Amitri's will be holding a little fundraiser for a little known charity this Friday at their estate."

"Little known charity?" Oden quirked a brow. "Which would that be?"

"They say it's to help the homeless or some other nonsense, but I am positive that it'll be to fund a little research project that some of my team's more recent targets have been involved in. It's stationed in southern France, so we've been getting closer. ONI insisted that for our next few missions in the area we do co-ops. As much as I resisted, ONI's word is law, so here we are."

"Well. Sorry we're wasting your time," Loki said. "Maybe we should go back to mopping the hallway."

"If I had my way, you would be," Oracle told him smoothly. Once again, Siren had to step in to keep Loki from fulfilling the promise he made earlier.

"What are they planning?" Siren asked quickly. "This project you mentioned. What's it about?"

"Honestly, I am not sure. I haven't been able to get that information yet. From what I can tell it has something to do with a more efficient way to feed. Apparently the vampire race has grown tired of hunting; at least the aristocratic ones have. They'd rather have it served to them in a silver cup," Oracle explained, tossing out the folders. "I've taken the liberty of writing up what each of your tasks will be on this mission."

"What the hell is this?" Loki looked at the folder with great disgust. "You're _assigning_ us tasks? Like a checklist?"

"That's the idea, yes," Oracle nodded.

"Oh, so you're just taking over this operation, huh? And we're just supposed to do whatever you tell us?"

"For God's sakes, Loki-" Siren pleaded.

"No! I'm not gonna sit here and take orders from this guy like this," Loki said sternly. "He walks in fifteen minutes late, acting like we're the ones wasting his time, then hands us a task list like we're rookies. I ain't gonna sit down and take it! You can shove this…this _list_ where the sun don't shine, buddy," Loki tossed the folder back defiantly. That got Oracle's attention.

"I don't know what your problem is, but I suggest you get over it," he growled with the slightest hint of irritation. "My team and I have been working on this lead for months, and I am not about to let anyone screw it up, especially not you. Now either you can stop acting like a bratty child and follow instructions, or I can kick you out of this operation here and now. This is our chance to find out what these bastards are planning, and no slack jawed, gun-toting would be bad-ass is going to mess up what I've been working on."

The room went silent as Oracle's voice echoed off the walls. They stood, staring each other down until Loki just rolled his eyes and coughed. "Whatever. But don't expect me to like it."

"I couldn't care less."

Loki was about to answer, but the door opened before he could. A tall blonde woman sauntered in, a smug grin on her ruby lips. A second glance made Oden notice her amazing figure; sleek and lean, but with plenty of curves. Her long golden curls were pulled back and folded at the back of her head, held in place with an elegant pin. Her dress was a skimpy leather number with a rather low neckline. The hem of the skirt fit snugly around her mid thigh, leaving a couple inches of bare, tanned skin between the skirt and the top of her brown leather boots. The stiletto heels made a soft clicking sound on the concrete floor. Immediately behind her came a much softer, but just as alluring, brunette girl. Her hair was cut in a bob that ended right at her jaw line and curled up around her face. Her bright blue eyes were curiously wide, but not unattractively so. Oden found himself a bit intrigued. Looking down a bit, he noted she wore a brown suede halter vest with a pink cloth one underneath. Her pants were a deep green in a denim material with pockets on the side of her knees. Her boots were large and had thick heels. They were more like combat boots. Oden also caught a glimpse of the leather brace on her right arm that indicated she used a bow and arrow as her weapon.

"Perfect timing," Oracle sighed, pointing at the girls. "These are my hunters; Artemis is our gunner, Venus is the Swordsman."

The blonde smiled slyly, resting her hands on her hips. "Nice to meet you," she said. Her voice was a bit deep, but was very rich and intoxicating. "I'm Venus."

Oden glanced over to his team to see their reactions. Siren seemed fine. She was just smiling politely and introducing herself to the girls. Loki on the other hand looked a bit dazed. Oden didn't blame him.

As soon as Siren finished telling the girls her name, she was about to introduce the rest of her team. But Loki jumped in.

"And this is-"

"Loki!" he jumped up and hurried over to the ladies, gently pushing Siren away. She just blinked then rolled her eyes. "I'm Loki," he repeated as he ran a hand through his ruffled hair. His gold eyes were especially captivated by the blonde. "Pleasure's all mine, ladies."

Venus smirked, but rolled her violet eyes dramatically. Artemis seemed just as blasé about Loki's actions, but she smiled and shook his hand. "Nice to meet you, Loki," she said. She sounded young to Oden's ears. She suddenly turned to him, hair lightly bouncing as she walked over with hand extended. "And you must be Oden, right?" the brunette smiled.

Oden froze for a moment, a bit stunned. Once he regained his senses, he firmly shook Artemis's hand with a shy smile. "Oh, yeah, I'm Oden!" he stammered, feeling ridiculous. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Loki smirk knowingly. Venus caught the smirk as well and gave a disapproving look to Oracle, who in turn shrugged.

At that point, something became very obvious to Oden.

This would be a mission neither he— nor his team—would soon forget.

* * *

Oden still wasn't used to the cackle of the radio in his ear. He figured a multi billion dollar underground society that hunted vampires could invest a little more in communication.

"A-Team—" this referred to Artemis and Oden, "—will enter through the front. Remember, you have to be careful. You're going to be practically rubbing elbows with the targets, and they aren't as dumb as your run-of-the-mill vamps. They'll notice if something's happening in their house. Your job is to make sure they don't," Siren said calmly.

Loki, of course, had to jump in. "Yeah, yeah. They keep the suck-heads busy while Blondie and I sneak in the back and figure out what these freaks are plotting. We went over this a billion fucking times at H. Q!"

A small crackle disrupted his rant. "Blondie! Look, you pompous dirt bag-"

"Both of you, can it," Oracle demanded. Somehow is voice was even more intimidating over the radio. "Your fighting will do nothing but get you noticed, and that's the last thing we want."

"But he's bein-"

"Venus."

"…Fine. Let's just get this done, please?"

"My thoughts exactly," Oracle sighed. "Teams. Move out. Siren and I will turn off the transmission so you won't be detected by their radar. You won't be able to contact us from inside the building, so you'll only have your partner as backup. Once you're outside you can call us, but I don't suggest it. Just get the plans, take out your designated targets and get out. Transmission over." The radio clicked off, leaving Oden a bit nervous.

"Venus and Loki didn't sound too friendly," he mentioned to Artemis. She was in a formal gown; dark green silk with a knee high slit up the left side. Even ducked behind a stone fence, fidgeting with her shoe, Oden's nerves worsened looking at the girl.

"Venus isn't friendly with anyone," Artemis admitted. "It took her forever to warm up to me when I got on the team, and even now she…well. Let's just say we're not the hair braiding friends that people think we are."

"Ah," Oden nodded, looking back to the brightly light mansion before them. Many people had started gathering inside, and more were arriving. It was time to make their move. "Are you ready?"

"Ready as we'll ever be. Before we go, I have to say," she grinned as she stood. "We look just smashing tonight. That tux suits you."

Oden felt his cheeks warm as he stood. "Really? I feel so stuffy…"

"No, really! Just smashing," she said again, stepping out from behind the wall. "Let's go crash a party, Oden."

* * *

"Would you PLEASE back off!" Venus sighed in utter disgust.

"What? We're hanging off a goddamn roof. There's no where to back off to," Loki argued, gripping his rope tighter. "There's only one way to go from here, and that's DOWN."

"Well, you could've put your stake a little farther from mine," she answered dully, pulling on her harness to lower herself in front of a window.

"If I did that, I would be swinging into a wall," Loki said. He was getting annoyed with this chick. She may have been a total hottie, but five minutes after meeting her Loki knew this girl was trouble. She was aloof and rude; condescending and overbearing. "Just get the window open and we can split up from there."

"No, we can't," Venus said, opening a leather bag from her belt and picking the window's locks. "We can't use the radio, so if you get in trouble, you can't just call me for back up."

"If _I_ get in trouble?" Loki practically choked on the words. "What about you?"

"That's not an issue."

"Well aren't you just so fucking confident?" Loki said. "I've been doing this for years, and I've never been in a situation I couldn't…_talk_ my way out of," he said, patting the straps across his chest the held the shotguns on his back. The pistol at his hip pushed against his thigh thanks to the harness.

Her exasperated sigh didn't go unnoticed. He was seriously growing tired of this chick. But before he could answer her, the lock cracked and Venus quietly opened up the window. She agilely slipped through it into the window frame, careful not to make a sound. She signaled for Loki to follow, but he was less stealthy than she was. His thick boots made thuds as he set foot inside, and continued as he got out of the way of the window.

Venus twitched a bit at the sound, fearing they would be heard. "Do you have to be so loud all the time?" she hissed under her breath. "Those damn shoes are going to get us killed!"

Loki simply rolled his eyes and shifted his weight to his right leg. "I ain't worried," he whispered, folding his arms. He could just follow her movements through the room thanks to the light of the moon flowing through the windows. If it weren't for that, the way she fluttered against the wall quickly and silently would have completely eluded him. Frantically, he followed suit, making sure his footwear wasn't too loud. Once on the carpet he was as silent as she.

She opened the door of the room which led them both into a long corridor, decorated in crushed velvet curtains. The rich crimson of the fabric bore a great contrast to the creamy white of the walls and the ivory of the columns. Seemingly priceless works of art adorned the walls between the columns. All in all it was an impressive display, if a bit trite for the wealthy aristocrats.

"Not exactly original decorators are they?" Venus scoffed. She expected her 'partner' to agree, but found herself answered with silence. A glance over her shoulder showed her that Loki was almost in awe of the place.

"Damn," he whispered, entranced by his surroundings. "Would ya look at this place! It's like we walked into a damn movie!"

Venus gawked at the man, who looked around with the wide eyes of a curious child. Was he actually _impressed_ by this?

After another moment of awe, a loud clank echoed through the hall, as though a door had opened a carelessly been allowed to slam shut. Loki's gaping jaw tightened into a slight smirk as his hand rested on the shotgun at his hip. "Well, let's get to work, Blondie. I'd like to get home at a decent hour tonight." He took off down the hall until he reached the end. There he looked around a corner, and held up three fingers in her direction indicating a trio of bogies in their path. He nodded for Venus to come with him.

She blinked for a moment, then let her own smirk cross her lips. They still had to be quiet, which meant at this point Loki's shotguns were out of the question. She'd have to take on the group. Silently, she hurried up to him, exchanged a grin and went to work.

* * *

The ballroom was brightly lit and ornate, with vines scaling the powder blue walls. Oden had paused when they entered the room, and Artemis had to nudge him with her elbow to remind him of their role. Right. Blend in and make sure everyone stays preoccupied with the party. They chatted with some of the party guests. Oden found himself often bored to tears with the banter, yawning occasionally despite himself. Artemis, on the other hand, fit right in. Her bright blue eyes lit up even more as she laughed demurely at the bad jokes, and during the dance she shared with a slightly older gentleman, Oden couldn't help but see how her luminous brunette hair floated just above her shoulders. Serious as he was about this mission, he was hypnotized by this girl; this light angel that danced across the floor.

That combined with the fondness that the other, less appealing girls that seemed to fancy him left him uncomfortable and downright exhausted with the situation.

The dance ended, and Artemis nodded politely to her dance partner with a light smile. As she turned from him, her eyes went from bright to dull and somewhat annoyed. She swiftly moved through the circle of girls around Oden and pulled him off to the side.

"The next time someone asks me to dance, I'm going to throw pâté in their face," she said.

Oden blinked widely, hardly expecting such a statement. "What happened?" he asked.

"That guy was bit to hands on, if you get my grip," she stated blandly, hugging herself lightly. Oden had been so focused on her movements he hadn't even noticed the roaming fingers of her partner. "He's Monsieur Amitri's eldest son," she told him, fingering the rim of her champagne glass. "He reeks of blood. He might even have fed before the party; the scent was so strong on his breath."

Oden looked back to see this gluttonous vampire, but he'd already disappeared from their view. He was about to get up and look, but Artemis held him back.

"We don't need to worry about him," she shook her head slightly. "Even if he did get back to where Loki and Venus are, he's no match for them. The guy's completely oblivious."

Oden reluctantly sat back with her. "How long's it been since we lost radio contact?" he asked.

"About an hour, I'd say. Maybe an hour and a half," Artemis answered. "I'd say we should stick around for 2 more hours, just to give them time. The limit was 3 hours for them, but if things get messy for them it might take longer to find out what the vamps are planning."

Oden nodded knowingly. If Loki and Venus were discovered, it might take hours for them to fulfill their objectives. And there was no way of knowing since radio contact was cut off. Gut instinct was all they had.

Oden's instinct was telling him something was about to go horribly wrong tonight.

* * *

Loki broke the lock in the dark and opened the large mahogany doors and peered inside the room. It was no where near as homey as the rest of the mansion; cold sheets of metal glittered as the walls, floor, and ceiling. The steel tables were covered in scattered papers and files with random cabinets along the walls.

"Jackpot," Loki grinned, casually walking inside. He no longer cared about the vibrating buzz the metal floor made as he stepped through. He huddled over the tables and looked at the writing. Of course, it was all in French and to Loki it was all chicken-scratch. "You don't happen to know French, do ya, Blondie?" he glanced back when he heard the click of her heels against the floor.

She glared at him, her violet eyes practically ablaze. "If you don't stop with the Blondie comment, I swear I'll slice you up so bad your own mother wouldn't be able to recognize you." Loki knew that was not just an idle threat. He'd seen her cut through every enemy she faced; always smooth, always clean. Those dhampir blades were perfect for her style, and he knew getting on her bad side would not work out well for him in the end. "And yes. Of course I speak French," Venus nodded with a smug grin.

She sauntered beside him up to the table, glancing over the papers and carefully flipping through. "Seems like they're creating blood farms or something," she said distantly.

Loki blinked. "What do you mean farm? That's not shit you just grow."

She didn't even bother reacting to that. Not looking up from the notes, Venus explained. "It's like harvesting. Looks like they're planning to pick up homeless off the street, put them under a chemical-induced coma and drain the blood. Then they store it and sell it to the highest bidder." She cringed a bit. This was a downright disturbing thought. It was almost worse than killing their prey in an alley and letting them turn.

"…Now that's just fucked up," Loki blatantly snorted. "What's the point in that?"

"More blood. Even if someone is brain dead they still can create more blood," she said calmly, eyes focused on the papers.

"…So it's like getting more bang for your buck, huh?" Loki said thoughtfully. "Fucking sick."

"Couldn't say it better myself," she shivered.

Loki couldn't quite put his finger on it, but something in this room just felt wrong. It was dangerous here. Maybe it was just the knowledge of what the richer suck-heads were plotting, maybe it was the cold, lifeless decoration of this creepy laboratory; he didn't know, but Loki didn't like this room. He looked around critically while Venus researched through the stacks. He wandered aimlessly trying to ease the tension in his shoulders.

Up on the ceiling, he heard a small click and a hiss. He turned quickly, and knew exactly why he felt so nervous. The vampire hissed again, and leaped down from the rafters.

He was after Venus, and she didn't have time to turn.

"Venus, head down!" he screamed, snapping his shotgun out from the harness and firing when the creature was inches from her skull. The bullet tore through the thing's skull, blasting away half his face and brain. The corpse was dust before it even hit the floor, but the echoing gunshot could still be heard reverberating off the walls. Considering the acoustics of this place, their cover was gone. No need to play it quiet anymore.

* * *

It was faint, but clear enough that the whole room heard the shot over the dull music. Chaos began to ensue as a hoard of screaming innocents flooded the door, fearing for their lives. Oden glanced at Artemis who nodded. They knew that shot was from Loki's special shotgun. Slipping back from the crowd, they ran up the stairs and looked for the source. By now several security guards were racing to the same spot, but Oden took care of them, using the silver tipped shurikans he and Siren developed for this mission. The rich scent of blood filled his nose as he saw one lunge for Artemis out of the corner of his eye. Before he could react she opened up the slit of her dress, revealing a small band and compartment on her mid thigh. She pulled a very thin sting from it and leaped around her victim's back, strangling him with the wire. Slowly, the vampire's neck became dust and his head fell to the ground, his body following when Artemis released it. It dissipated very slowly, and Oden knew that had to be hell to a vamp.

Once that group was taken care of, Oden looked back to his partner curiously. "What did you use on that guy?" he asked, looking at the pile of dust and bones on the tile.

She grinned. "It's like piano wire, but it's been dusted with silver powder. Siren gave it to me, just in case."

Oden marveled. _Innovative, _he thought.

He heard blasts from down the hall. Obviously more of Loki's ammo had just been used. They followed the sound, finding very little opposition on the way. They found Loki and Venus running towards them, and they seemed a little shaken.

"What happened?" Oden asked noting they were now alone, save for the group of security that could be heard all throughout the mansion.

Venus growled out of pure frustration. "Mr. Itchy-Trigger-Finger blew our cover," she snapped, sending Loki a glare that made Oden cringe.

"Hey, I'm pretty sure I just saved your ass back there," he replied. A door down the hall opened, and two guards entered. Loki apathetically rolled his eyes and snapped up his guns again, pulling both triggers at once. No more security. "I think a THANK YOU is in order," he said, going back to the argument like nothing happened.

Artemis wasn't interested in their little spat. She looked at Venus and asked if they found out what this secret plan was.

Loki shook his head in visibly shivered. "You don't wanna know, sister," he said, glancing around the group. "Let's just get the fuck out of here."

They all took off, following Loki and Venus to the room where they had entered. They came across several small groups along the way, but none posed a threat to them. Oden even found himself smiling when the guy that Artemis danced with was standing before him, still styled in his tux and slicked hair. Oden got him right between the eyes with another shurikans, but used another between the legs. Just for good measure.

They grappled up the ropes to the roof, Venus and Artemis first, Loki and Oden right behind. A couple tried to follow suit, but Loki blasted the ropes from their braces, sending their pursuers plunging a number of stories to the rocky ground. They leaped down to the lower rooftops, like they were stairs until they hit the ground, where they tore through the surrounding trees and forest, but did so silently. Soon they were completely out of range of the mansion, still able to hear the frantic screams of the fleeing partygoers.

"Way to go, Captain Dumbass!" Venus huffed, practically punched Loki in the face. "You almost got us killed in there!"

Loki hesitantly grimaced. He was definitely holding back some sort of violence. "One," he said calmly through gritted teeth, "Captain Dumbass? What the _fuck_?" Loki exclaimed, letting go of his composure. "Two, if I hadn't done something, you'd be just another link in the fucking food-chain, baby! So just shut up! We got out and got what we came for!"

"That's not the point!" she screamed back, obviously not liking his tone. "This wasn't a hit! You shouldn't have even _brought_ those canons of yours!"

"Hey, if I didn't bring these _canons_ you'd be a midnight snack for some suck-head, girlie!" he argued, refusing to back down. Oden could just see the heated sparks between them.

Luckily Artemis stepped in. "We need to contact HQ," she said.

Before any of them could, the radio cackled in Oden's ear. Someone screamed, but he couldn't hear the words. He looked at the rest of the team. They'd definitely heard it, too.

The radio crackled once more, but then he made out the voice of Oracle. It was stern and even, but had a definite sense of urgency. "Do you read me? Team A? B? For God's sakes answer me!"

"We read you, Oracle. What's wrong?" Venus answered first.

"Oh thank God," Siren sighed. "Listen. You have to get out of that house NOW!" she said frantically.

"What?" Loki asked. "My radio's fuzzy."

"Get out of that mansion RIGHT NOW," Oracle said. "It's going to-"

Before he could finish the sentence, all four heard a thundering explosion from Amitri Manor. A gust of hot wind blew through the forest as they all hit the ground, Loki and Oden instinctively huddled over Venus and Artemis. They were far enough away that they weren't in immediate danger but the debris still came pretty close to them. After a few moments, they looked up and saw the towering flames consuming the mansion.

The radio made more noises in Oden's ear. "I repeat, the mansion is going to-"

"Explode," Loki cut him off, hypnotized by the flames.

"Is everyone all right?" Oden asked, checking out his team. There were a few scratches, but those were most likely caused by the fall to the ground.

"I think so," Artemis answered, a bit stunned.

"Everyone's safe?" Siren said over the bad connection.

"Yeah, we're fine," Oden said, shaken himself. "What happened?"

Silence from the radio was his only response.

"Hello?"

"Whatever you do, don't go back to H. Q.," Oracle said sternly. "I'm going to give you an address. All of you are to come here immediately. Do not talk to ANYONE. Just come straight here." He rattled off an address that was at least an hour's walk away. "Siren and I will be waiting."

"Wait a god-damn minute," Loki said. "What the _fuck_ just happened here?"

"We…can't tell you over the radio. It's not safe. We'll explain it when you get here. Just stay calm," Siren said.

"The fuck I will!" Loki yelled. "Dammit, Siren we almost turned into CHARCOAL here! I want a god-damn answer!"

"Look," Oracle's voice boomed, slightly frantic. "Just shut up and get here. The longer we're on the radio the more danger we're all in. Just get here and do it fast." The radio clicked, and Oden knew they'd turned off the transmitter.

"DAMMIT!" Loki cursed, stomping his foot. "What the fuck is going on here!"

"I guess we'll find out," Oden shrugged, and started for the road. He heard the rest of the team follow him.

"This is bullshit," Loki muttered. "Complete bullshit. We could've gone up in smoke just then.

Venus snorted a bit. "Looks like your trigger happy tendency saved our butts, Loki."

"I only meant for it to save your butt," he muttered. "Not save us from a god-damn bomb."

"…Don't talk about my butt."

* * *

_Author's Notes: So yes. I finally got to the point where I wanted to end this chapter. It took FOREVER to get there, but yes._

_I don't think the next chapter will be as long, but I haven't really planned it yet, so who's to say. Until then._


	3. Chapter 3

_Author's Notes: Okay so. It's been forever since I touched this thing. Life's been hectic, so sue me. Vampire hunting fic wasn't at the top of my to-do list._

_Matter of fact I never thought I'd work on this thing again. Shockingly enough I just had the urge to a couple days ago, and thus chapter 3 got written. Once again, I didn't really edit much. So my apologies for grammar/spelling/discontinuity of facts, etc. I'd forgetten a good bit of what I'd already done, and well. Re-reading it didn't help much since I'm thick XD;_

_Either way, chapter 3. Enjoy if you actually read this.

* * *

_

The team pretty much walked the whole way in silence, almost afraid to say anything. After all, they all saw that building explode; they all heard the panicked voices over the radio. Even Oracle lost his cool for a minute there. Something big was definitely up, but no one had a clue as to what it could be.

After a little less than an hour and a half (Oden and Artemis needed to sit; their shoes were killing them, so they took them off and threw them into the woods by the road), the team reached the location Oracle had told them of. It looked like a large hotel, several stories high, but not obscenely large. It had the typical French elegance that was common of the area, yet was clearly modern in structure. On the front of the gate, there was a large symbol with the letters "K" and "C." No one seemed to know what the letters were supposed to mean at first, then something triggered in Oden's memory.

"That's the symbol for Kaiba Corporation!" he announced quickly. "I can't believe I didn't remember it sooner!"

"Kaiba Corporation?" Loki repeated. It was obvious he was agitated about the night's events, and the fact that everyone else wasn't seemed to make it worse. "What in hell is that?"

"Maybe if you shut up and _listen_ he'll tell you, lunkhead," Venus snapped, crossing her arms. She rolled her eyes in disgust and sighed heavily, and Loki didn't take that well.

"Look, missie, I've had just about enough of-"

But Artemis wasn't about to let this go on. "Would you both just _shut up_!" she cried, glaring at both of the blondes. "My God, you've been at each other's throats all night! Give it a rest!" She had to take a moment to calm herself, and then she turned back to Oden with a serious expression. "Now. What were you saying, Oden?"

Blinking for a moment, Oden noticed Loki and Venus look shamefully at their feet. He held back his amused smile to answer Artemis's question.

"It's a game company," he explained, somewhat nostalgically. "Mostly trading card stuff, but they've done a lot. When I was a kid, I used to play games all the time, and this company was a major player in the industry!" Oden smiled almost childishly at the memories of looking through his deck of monster cards for some game- Oh what was it called again? It had slipped his memory, but the fondness in his heart flared up immediately at the thoughts.

His flashbacks weren't to last long. The others were already heading up to the house carefully even before Oden had finished his thoughts. Loki kept a tentative hand near his holster, and Venus held her blades at a ready position. One wrong sound and she easily could've sliced off Oden's head. Odd how THAT seemed to be his biggest fear.

The doors to this corporate palace were large mahogany masterpieces. Loki was the first to try and pull them open, but they were locked and would not be moved. The blonde gunman turned around with an irritated grunt, practically fuming at this point.

"Now what?" he snorted. No one had an answer.

A moment later the familiar crackling from the radio made everyone flinch a bit. "Everyone that can hear this, raise your hand. Now," demanded Oracle's rough voice in their ears.

"What?" Loki said defiantly. "Tell me what the hell is going on and THEN I'll-"

"Do it or I swear to God, you dimwit I'll come up there myself and blow your brains out with those canons of yours," Oracle roughly replied. They could all tell that he certainly would. With a slight mutter, Loki obeyed the command, and slowly the others did as well.

"Wait there," Oracle answered, then clicked off the radio. The teams waited in awkward silence for something to happen; what that something would be, no one could determine. Anything would be plausible at this point.

Several moments later, one of the large doors creaked open, and Oden could barely make out the angular face of Oracle looking through. "Why are you so late? It only should have taken an hour to walk here," he said, refusing to open the door any further unless he got the answers he wanted.

"It's our fault," Artemis answered before Loki could jump in. She glanced back to Oden and frowned a bit. "We slowed the group down. We made them stop so we could take off our shoes and rest for a moment."

"That wasn't wise," Oracle said with no trace of sympathy, but he wasn't angry. At least not that anyone could tell. "Did anyone follow you?" he continued in his business-like fashion.

"Okay, I've had it!" Loki finally snapped. This time no one tried to stop him. "We almost turned into fireworks tonight! Burnt to a crisp! Do you understand that!" he raved, indicating the other team members. Oden felt almost guilty when he sympathized with Loki's outrage. "Now I don't think it's so freaking out of the question that we get some answers, do you!" No one disagreed.

Apparently not even Oracle. "Look, I know you're all confused." Oden saw Loki do a slight double take. "But it's not safe to speak here." With that he opened the door and stood against it, allowing them all to file in. Oden noted that he pointed a gun out into the courtyard and let the barrel pan across, as though he were looking for something.

Once everyone was inside, he made a signal to remain quiet, then pointed down a long hallway. The inside was just as grand as the outside. Large portraits decorated the walls, but they could not be admired; there were no lights on, and the moon was covered by a thick fog.

Oden found himself more interested in Oracle than the surroundings. The tall man seemed deeply troubled by something. His blue eyes were a bit wild as they darted about. His overall manner was somewhat tired and paranoid. It was like his skin was the only thing keeping him from going everywhere at once. It was obvious Oracle was trying to hide his discontent, but he wasn't doing a good job. Even Loki was frowning a bit at the other's behavior.

Once they all reached the end of the hallway, Oracle moved a picture frame out of the way and revealed a small button. He pressed it, and a portion of the wall seemed to disappear, producing a small metallic hole in the wall that looked like an elevator. The whole process took about 10 seconds, and made less sound than Oden's shallow breathing.

Everyone stepped inside, and Oracle typed a code into the keypad. There was a slight jerk, but other than that, Oden couldn't tell whether or not they were moving at all. Eventually another slight jerk indicated they had stopped, and the door slid open in front of Oracle.

Beyond the door was something that resembled the conference rooms at the H.Q. office. There was a large round desk with a hanging lamp over it. Desk chairs lined the table, all facing directly to the middle.

Oracle stepped out first, and the second his foot hit the cement floor, Oden heard a click and saw the familiar flash of incandescent light against silver. A gun was placed firmly against Oracle's temple, and holding it was a delicate arm, shaky though it was.

There was a sigh of relief from the side of the wall, but the gun remained in place. "When you cried I'd wipe away all of your tears," said the familiar voice of Siren, shaky and tired but still decipherable.

Oracle didn't move. He just spoke simply. "When you screamed I'd fight away all of your fears." The gun was removed promptly, and Siren tossed her arms around Oracle's neck. Oden heard her mumble, "Thank God," into his shoulder. He barely responded, but quickly pushed her away towards the table. Lifting his bony hand, Oracle motioned for the others to follow.

Though puzzled, the teams followed and circled the table. They all sat down and blinked at the silence; no one had the courage to break it. The worried faces of Oracle and Siren were far too foreboding.

But finally, Oracle sat down, giving Siren the floor to speak. "…Something has happened," she said, taking a deep breath to remain calm. "Within the R.O. There's been a breech."

Another pause of silence allowed this to sink in. Loki was the first to react. "Why do you mean, 'a breech?' What's that mean?"

"Someone within the organization has deceived us, Loki," Siren calmly answered him. "That's all we know. One of the agents took control of HQ tonight." She took a moment to shake her head.

Oracle quickly took over, having regained his business-like air. "Tonight was a rare night. Every single team in the R.O. was sent out on a mission. That's almost unheard of, though it has happened before."

"So what does that all mean?" Oden asked, though somehow he already knew.

"It was a set-up," Oracle said. "Everything tonight had to have been a set up by our AWOL-agent. There were bombings in every single location being targeted tonight. Even HQ has been leveled."

There was another moment of awed silence. It all seemed to be too absurd to be true. _Every_ target was blown up? _Every _team was out this night? And the most shocking of all was the idea of a double agent. Oden had gone through a long, intensive series of tests and interviews, including blood tests. Wasn't it impossible to fool the R.O.?

"It's everywhere on the news. Luckily, the media is too stupid and ignorant to see the connection," Oracle carried on. "Unfortunately, though," his mood turned morose again, "…There have been no reported survivors in any of the explosions."

That annoying silence filled the room again. Oden couldn't believe his ears at all. This simply couldn't be happening. Either that or no one cared to admit it was.

"We can only assume the worst," Oracle said gravely. "We have to assume that all other agents in the R.O. have been liquidated."

"Liquidated?" Loki repeated after a pause. His tone was questionable, and Oden honestly couldn't tell whether he knew what the word meant or if he was outraged. He didn't have to wait long for an answer. "There are hundreds of people dead out there-not only agents but _innocent civilians_ who are _dead_, and you talk about it all like it's a fucking corporate takeover!" His gruff voice thundered off the walls, and for the first time Loki was more intimidating than Oracle. The sheer fire in his amber eyes even threw Venus off for a moment, and she blinked foggily at him across the table. "What in hell is the matter with you!"

Oracle's cool exterior finally cracked. He slammed his hands onto the table, nearly flipping it over. "Don't you think I understand that, you fucking moron!" he bellowed, his scream now controlling the air. His hair fell out of its perfect shape, tumbling over his blazing eyes. "And don't you DARE yell at me like that in my damn house! I swear to God, if you make one more SOUND I'll kick you out and let the vampires tear limb from goddamn LIMB, Loki!"

But Loki was not about to back down. "Fuck you, Oracle!" he shouted back just as loud. "I've had enough of this! This isn't a game! Have you even gotten on the radio to try and contact the other teams? Did that even enter your mind at all?"

"Of course it did, but it's too risky. We could give away our location," Oracle replied, though he'd gotten more defensive.

"So you'd rather stay down in this rat hole and hide while our teammates are out there and might need our help?" Loki scoffed.

"I'm looking out for our survival!" Oracle said as Loki reached for the radio.

"So am I," Loki replied so coldly that Oracle actually blinked and sat back down. He grumbled a bit, but did nothing to stop Loki as he clicked the radio in the center of the table on and lifted the receiver to his chin. "This is Loki 5. Over," he said calmly then waited. There was no response.

"What the hell are you doing?" Venus asked dully. "That radio is only programmed to communicate with our transmitters. It doesn't work with other team's equipment."

"There's another frequency that all the radios pick up," Loki told her matter-of-factly. He was too focused on the radio, so Venus and the others looked to Oracle for further explanation.

He sighed, as though it were some secret he'd wished to keep. "It's only supposed to be used by coordinators…if something goes wrong."

"Well, I'd say this qualifies," Loki nearly laughed as he tweaked the frequency knobs.

"But it's risky," Oracle shot the blonde a quick glare. "The airwaves of the signal are a lot like typical commercial ones, so they're easier to tap into. If someone were to tap in and track it, our location would be revealed. That's the last thing we want right now."

"But if it gives us a chance to contact anyone, I'd say it's worth the risk," Loki answered. "Maybe then we could get some answers." Everyone seemed to agree with Loki that the risk was worth it; what else could they do?

Almost a moment later, there was a crackling from the radio speaker. "On----tan?" was what they hear over the fizzle, and everyone jumped, including Loki.

"Hello! Is someone there?" he asked into the receiver, his voice raising a bit. "This is Loki 5. Is anyone out there? Over!"

The transmission was clearer as the click came over the radio. "Onii-chan is that really you!" It was the excited voice of a young girl, and Oden immediately recognized it.

"That's Nymph!" he shouted, a grin breaking out over his and Loki's face.

"Nymph! Can you hear me?" Loki said, his voice relieved and hopeful.

"Yes I can!" she answered. Oden thought he heard the sound of laughter. "Oh, onii-chan, you're okay! Thank goodness! With everything I thought that-"

"Don't say that, Nymph," Loki told her calmly. "Just…tell us where you are."

"NO!" Oracle jumped up, taking the receiver from Loki. "Nymph or whoever! What_ever_ you do, don't tell us where you are!"

Loki blinked up, surprised at first, then irritated. "What the hell are you doing! They might need help!"

But Oracle ignored him. He coughed into his hand quickly. "This is the President and CEO of Kaiba Corporation, Seto Kaiba. I've been informed of your situation. Please gather any of the survivors from your party and proceed to-" he rattled off the address of the building. Luckily, Nymph was stationed 30 minutes away. Her team was on their way to her at that moment. "Over," Oracle said, then clicked the radio off for good.

Everyone blinked for a moment, and Oden's sense of awe was more overwhelming than the rest. This man standing before them had broken the cardinal rule of the Organization. It was the one law that seemed to overshadow all the others, despite the sheer common sense of it. He'd used his real name.

Oden couldn't even remember a time when he'd used his name with anything regarding the Organization. Even during his training he'd been given a number. He was never asked for his birth name, and as far as he knew, there was no record of it in the R.O. HQ. And even if there was, it had been destroyed this very night. From the looks on everyone's faces, Oden figured they were going through the very same process.

Siren sighed heavily. "And you were the one talking about risk," she said, shaking her head.

Oracle seemed just as hesitant about his decision, but nodded. "There are no records of our real names within the Organization. None at all. We don't exist to them if we aren't on the clock," he said matter-of-factly. "If we keep using our code names over the radio, and someone taps in, we're asking for trouble. It's a long shot, and I can't guarantee it will work but-" he paused. "We're all going to forget the codes from here on in."

It all made sense, but…at the same time everyone was hesitant to reveal who they really were. Even if you passed a teammate out on the street in the daylight, you were to act like you had never met; outside of work, you were total strangers. To throw that sacred law away seemed almost blasphemous.

"I know it seems ridiculously simple, but right now it's the only edge we've got," Oracle sat back down into the chair. "We have to take what we can get at this point." Siren placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, and he reached up and took it.

No one seemed to object, but the skeptical look in everyone's eyes made Oden shift in discomfort. After a moment Oracle took the floor again.

"Just as you heard, I'm Seto Kaiba. I run a business known as Kaiba Corporation. We-"

"Make games," Loki supplied dully. "Oden filled us in when we reached the gate, Mr. President."

"I see," Oracle said, glancing over to Oden. "You knew about me?"

Oden felt a slight warmth on his cheeks, and his purple eyes widened. "Oh, well…sort of!" he stammered. "I-I knew Kaiba Corp was a game company, but I didn't know how you were! I played a lot of games as a kid and I-"

"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter," Oracle…or Seto rather, replied, completely uninterested. He looked up at Siren. "We'll go around the table, starting with you."

Siren gave a silent nod before turning her eyes back to the table. "Kisara," she told the group with a deep sigh. "Kisara Kaiba. Seto is my husband."

At this point, everyone was sick of the shocked silence that seemed to hang heavy in the still air. Almost simultaneously, all the eyes in the room turned to Loki. It seemed like the right thing to do. And of course, they were right.

"He's your _what_?" Loki gaped. It looked like someone just told him the earth was flat, and he was about to be pushed off the edge.

"My husband," Kisara repeated with a small smile of amusement. "For 5 years now. We were originally on the same team in the R.O and-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Loki shook his head and held up his hand. "Please I don't need to hear the dating connection with Mr. Personality here. Can we just move on?" he looked to Artemis, she was next. But they all took a minute to privately laugh at Loki's clear disappointment in Siren's commitment.

"Um…" Artemis looked at her hands in her lap, debating what to say. "Well, my name's Anzu Mazaki. I'm a dancer."

Loki got over his mourning at this. "A dancer?" he repeated, leaning his elbows on the table.

"Yes," she snapped. "I dance ballet for a small company, and work part-time at a department store."

"Oh." Oden didn't know why Loki looked disappointed again. And when it hit him, he had the urge to leap across the table and smack the blonde with his own gun. But he didn't have a chance because it was his turn to speak.

"Yuugi. Yuugi Mutou," he shyly said, not able to look at anything but the table. "I help my Grandpa run a small game shop."

"Are you in school?" Anzu asked. She seemed concerned.

Yuugi shook his head. "No. I graduated a year ago." Anzu gave an approving smile. No one else seemed interested in the least. He glanced directly across the table. Venus was next.

"Kujaku Mai," she said coolly, flipping her hair back. "And I really don't feel like telling you all what I do for a living."

"Oh, I think I have an idea," Loki scoffed, laughing a little at his own joke.

Mai blinked at him as though he were speaking another language entirely. "What the hell was that supposed to mean?" she scolded.

"Can't figure it out, don't deserve to know," Loki rolled his head back and kicked his feet up on the table.

"Oh, you are such a jerk," was Mai's only reply aside from the hateful glare. "Could you be quiet and polite to someone for like…two seconds, you buffoon?"

"Stick to what you're good at. That's what I always say," he smirked.

"And you are a master."

"Quit it, both of you," Seto demanded. "I don't need your childish bickering right now." He looked coldly at Loki, the last in the group.

"Hmph," Loki snorted. "Jounouchi Katsuya. Outside of this I'm a-" he paused. His complexion turned a bit paler. Apparently he hadn't thought his through. He coughed, mumbling something into his hand.

Venus had apparently caught the hidden message, and a twisted smile broke across her face. She leaned towards him, soft blonde curls tumbling over her face. "What was that, _Katsuya_?" she purred.

He returned the glare she'd given him only moments before. "I'm a _waiter_," he said loud enough for everyone, but looked straight at Mai. Oden saw Seto cover up the bottom part of his face with his hands, but he could see the bottom of his eyes curve up, and knew the CEO was desperately trying not to laugh.

"Well, we can't _all_ be fortune five-hundred CEO's," Jounouchi snorted, pouting a bit. "Some people gotta work the old fashion way."

"By flipping burgers for the fortune five-hundred CEO's," Mai replied.

"Oh, fuck you," Jou said. Clearly, he was running out of material.

"In your dreams."

"Yeah. My _nightmares_."

"Oh, that was witty, _Katsuya_."

"Doesn't your name mean 'peacock' or something, lady?"

"Would you both CAN IT?" Seto's amusement had worn off, and he was back to his no-nonsense attitude. "It'd be different if you were witty, but that's not the case here. So just do everyone a favor and keep your useless quips to yourself."

Both Jounouchi and Mai looked like they were about to protest, but in the end they remained silent and slunk back into their chairs.

"So," Anzu sighed heavily. "What do we do now?"

"We do what we can," Kisara answered with an even voice and a shrug. "We wait. Nymph should be arriving soon."

"I don't know if we'll be able to let them in," Seto suddenly spoke, and everyone blinked at him.

"What?" Jounouchi replied.

"We don't know if they can't be trusted. They could compromise us," Seto stated as though it were just a fact.

"Are you saying they've been _turned_?" Jounouchi said. That hadn't even entered Yuugi's mind at all.

"It's a possibility. Maybe they struck a deal with the vampires," Seto continued.

"Okay, that's it!" Jounouchi jumped up and spun Seto's chair to face him. "It takes three days to turn someone, correct? We saw Nymph and her team two days ago. So that's out. And don't you _ever_," he paused, glaring down at Seto in the chair as his tone deepened and got even gruffer. "Don't you _EVER_ accuse her of turning on us. And if I had the choice to follow her orders or yours, I'd pick her, and I wouldn't have to think twice about it."

The room went silent, waiting for a reaction from Seto. Calmly, he looked up at Jounouchi and growled, "I hope you're right."

* * *

"Oh, it was just terrible!" Nymph (Her real name was Shizuka; apparently she really _was_ Jounouchi's younger sister and "onii-chan" was more than just a nickname) shook her head, her face exhausted from worry. "I thought for sure my team was dead!" she looked over to Apollo and Hades, now known to the group as Honda Hiroto and Otogi Ryuugi. Thanks to Seto's earlier skepticism, everyone carefully studied them; even Jounouchi seemed to have doubts about the two guys. With one hand he pulled Shizuka towards him by the shoulders, and the other he used to smoke a cigarette that no one told him to put out. After such a night, almost everyone felt he was entitled.

"We were lucky," Honda heavily sighed. "We had just gotten out of the building when it went up." It was obvious this was true though. Honda and Otogi were both scratched up pretty badly, and they were covered with black smudge that could only be caused by explosion. They all reeked of gunpowder and dust.

"Fortunately, I'd decided to move to a different location to direct them. I was originally supposed to be in the building," Shizuka gave a tired smile and looked up to the ceiling. "It was like a miracle."

"If there were such things as miracles, none of us would be here," Mai dully said. She didn't seem to care for the young girl with her bright outlook and cheery tone.

Shizuka blinked a bit, but turned back to Jounouchi. "I think it's a miracle that out of all the teams to survive, one was the team of my brother and so was mine," she said, not phased by Mai's cynical comment. Jounouchi just smiled. So did Yuugi. After he'd been so angry and upset over everything, it was nice to see Jou back to his relaxed and casual attitude.

"Miracle or not," Seto interrupted. He'd gone into another room connected to the conference area. He'd been diligently typing on some computer since before Shizuka and the others had arrived. Now he had a thick folder under his arm. "We have to figure out our next course of action."

"What are we supposed to do?" Jounouchi looked over. "Like you said, there was no evidence; no lead."

"At first glance, you're completely right. But I've been looking into whatever file were left. I back up everything, and I happen to have all the information we need right here," he tossed the folder down on the table. "Tonight, every team was out on a mission. Clearly a set up. But that doesn't mean that every agent was out there."

He opened up the folder and held up the top piece of paper. On it was the profile of an agent for the R.O. The picture showed a calm, quiet looking man of about thirty with long, shaggy white hair and innocent brown eyes. His name was Asreal 40.

"Asreal 40 never reported to HQ before his team when out for their hit. He was their swordsman. For reasons I can't yet determine, HQ allowed his team to go ahead without him," he paused. "I think you know what happened to them."

They were becoming more immune to the shock of what they knew had happened, but there was still a moment of awkward silence.

"This is our only lead right now," Seto firmly continued. "We find Asreal, we find our mole."

"He doesn't look like he'd be a spy," Shizuka said, looking at the photograph.

"Of all the people in the world, you should be the most aware that looks don't mean a thing," Seto took the paper away and set it down to the side. "Nonetheless, he's the only one left that we have reason to believe would be alive."

Yuugi had a thought. "What about ONI?"

The room went completely silent, only now it was more of a revered pause. ONI was the leader of the R.O. He was a mysterious legend; no one had seen him or ever spoken directly with him, but everyone knew. ONI was the omnipotent ruler of this Organization; a legend that was barely spoken of.

"I mean," Yuugi continued. "Could it be possible that he's alive?"

"…It's possible," Seto said. Apparently he hadn't thought of that, which gave Yuugi a small confidence boost. "But there's absolutely no information on ONI in the computer. This is the only hard evidence we have to follow, and I think it'd be in our best interest to follow this instead of chase after a legend we aren't sure even exists."

"ONI could be any number of things, kid," Jounouchi answered after taking a drag of his cigarette. "It could be one guy pulling the strings, in which case it might be worth it to find 'im. But it's more likely ONI is either a group of suits under one name or even just some super computer. Sure we all hear 'orders from ONI,' but it's just the same as this monkey suit ordering around his little yes-men," he pointed at Seto. "For once I'm gonna agree with Seto. This is the guy we gotta get to," he held up the picture of Asreal again. "And we gotta do it soon. No telling where the guy is now."

"True," Seto nodded. "I've been able to tap into some street and security cameras in the area where he may be at the moment. There were some reports of a man with his description acting suspiciously, and he was seen in most of the areas that were targeted."

"There you have it, folks," Jounouchi grinned, flicking the remainder of his cigarette to the floor. "Anyone up for a little mole-hunting?"

* * *

_Author's Notes: Don't get your hopes up for chapter 4 :x_


End file.
